Welcome to Salem United Church of Christ
Living Out God's Love
We are an open and affirming congregation, and our mission is to witness to the word and work of Jesus so all people may know the welcome of God, worship with joy, grow as disciples, live as servants, and enjoy the strength of Christian fellowship.
Welcome to Salem UCC in Verona
Our in-church Worship is temporarily suspended, so we will continue to prepare and share our most recent and upcoming services with you!
Scroll down for our weekly newsletter!
SALEM WEEKLY NEWS
For May 22, 2020
WORSHIP THIS WEEKEND
The worship service uploaded to the website for this weekend takes a Memorial Day theme. Dawn’s prelude is “America, the Beautiful” and her postlude is “My Country ‘tis of Thee.” Mark’s sermon uses the story of Paul’s conversion along the Damascus Road to warn against the perils of fanaticism when it comes to religion, patriotism, partisan politics, and love of freedom. All four of these areas of life are wonderful, except when they become imbalanced. They can be detrimental in their imbalanced state, just as Paul’s devotion to his faith was destructive to lives.
THANK YOU!
The faithful stewardship of the people of Salem United Church of Christ continues. If we could be close enough to one another we would give you all a pat on the back. We are not rolling in the dough, by any means, but we are not in desperate straits either. Through electronic giving and mailed contributions our people are showing the faithful and gracious generosity we have come to count on over the years, making the church strong. We trust you will keep those contributions flowing as best as you can, and the church will respond by putting them to the most faithful use it can, all in a spirit of gratitude.
GRADUATE RECOGNITION . . . June 7, 11 A.M.
Plans are in progress to publicly recognize and honor Salem’s five high school graduates from the Class of 2020. The plan is for a car parade before our graduates, who will be stationed, with their families, at appropriate distances apart, around our church’s parking lot. To make this as full and festive as can be WE WANT AS MANY CARS PARTICIPATING AS POSSIBLE. Cars can be decorated with signs, streamers, balloons, what-have-you. We will surround our graduates with love and praise by circling time and again around the parking lot. We will begin forming our “parade” at 10:45 A.M. on June 7.
GRADUATION CARDS
It would be nice if we could shower our graduates with cards. You can mail your cards to the church. We will save them and present them to the grads. This can help make their otherwise “lost” opportunity a day of powerful memories and felt love.
Our five graduates are Drew Adams, Henry Butzlaff, Morgan Moll, Jared Price, and Anika Quade.
FAVORITE BIBLE VERSES
The church, by way of our Youth Ministry Team, presents each high school graduate with a Bible as a gift. This year, as an added part of the gift, Sarah Pundt is collecting from members of the congregation a sheaf of our members’ favorite Bible verses. Please add to this way of encouraging our grads by sending Sarah your favorite Bible verse, including a sentence or so telling why you love this verse. Your responses can be sent to spundt@salemchurchverona.org.
ON THE QUESTION OF HOLY COMMUNION DURING THE QUARANTINE
Mark has given careful consideration and study to the question of whether it is appropriate to offer the Sacrament of Holy Communion via our online services. The Council has given its consent to the position Mark outlined. A statement can be found on the church’s website, under the “Communion” tab, at www.salemchurchverona.org. Please see that statement for a full discussion of the decision to refrain from offering the Sacrament of Holy Communion as long as we are limited to online services.
HERE’S A NEAT IDEA!
Emily (Bass) Syal and Ellen Bass have invited the women of Salem UCC to join them in book discussion group called Women Who Wildly Wonder. The group will be part book discussion centered around Clarissa Pinkola Estes' book, Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype and part invitation to engage in self-exploration, (re)discovery, and recovery of the wilderness within through art and nature-based practices.
We will meet virtually on Mondays from 6:00-8:00PM CST for eight weeks starting June 8th and ending on July 27th.
The group will be limited to 15 participants to allow for better online discussion. Reserve your spot soon! More information and sign-up can be found at: https://inwildwonder.com/women-who-wildly-wonder-gathering/. Please contact Sarah Pundt spundt@salemchurchverona.org with any questions.
WHAT ABOUT RE-OPENING?
There are officials on some levels of government and officials in some denominations who are encouraging churches to open soon. Salem is not planning to open any time soon. Our local church leaders will exercise discretion and make a determination for us as to when the proper time to reopen will be. They will also determine the nature and extent of the re-opening when that time comes. Key to their decision making is loving care for the people of our congregation and community. We will not reconvene for public worship until it seems the faithful and loving thing to do.
Pay Us a Visit
9:00AM Sunday School
10:15AM Worship
Our office is open in the mornings on weekdays.
Our Community
Whether you are looking to renew your relationship with God or just find friends to support you through good times and bad, Salem offers regular services, fellowship, outreach, community service, potluck programs, and musical groups to keep you coming back.
